Week 1 Flashcards
Define genotype
genetic of an individuals
Define phenotype
the physical characteristics displayed
Define Developmental plasticity
SINGLE genotype influenced by intrauterine (environment of womb) situations that can produce different phenotypes
Define epigenetics
changes to expression of genes but not due to changes in DNA makeup
what was the Dutch famine (1944-45)
Netherlands wouldn’t aid Germany in WW2 so they blockaded them in and wouldn’t allow supplies, food, or goods enter the country.
- if women pregnant would malnourished during later in pregnancy = low birth weight and life disease
- if malnourished early in pregnancy = normal birth weight but life disease
what was the Leningrad famine (1941-44)
military operation that left babies malnourished in womb and in outside life. But experienced NO increased risk for adult insulin resistance, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, etc
Mismatch concept
when the intrauterine environment matches the outside world = normal risk for disease
BUT when intrauterine experiences does NOT match outside world = Increased risk for disease
what are we manipulating in epigenetics?
- NOT changing DNA or nucleotide sequence
ONLY changing histone (help give DNA structure) tightness along DNA to make it easier or harder for transcription and translation of DNA -> RNA -> protein
Nutrigenomics
investigating how genes, environment, and nutrition interact
examples of nutrigenomics
- coffee (slow vs fast metabolism)
- alzheimers APOE4 gene and blood sugar
what is social genomics in the context of nutrigenomics
how the environment in which we eat, impacts our body
EX: eating while driving increases inflammatory & immune response
developmental origins of Health and Disease
how the environment, nutrients, etc during gestation impact long term life
ex: susceptibility to disease, metabolism & appetite, intelligence
thought of as “weather forecast”
what is the origin of DOHaD
(Barker hypothesis)
British epidemeologist gathered common causes of death in Whales and England (controlled for confounding variable in ages 65 and lower per 100,000)
@ the time heart disease was though only as rich man problem but Barker found the lower class to be dying from the disease the most
- found low birth weight related to increased risk and said that it was due to fetuses diverting nutrients to brain and weakening the heart
Helsinki prospective study (1934-44)
males + females investigated found poor fetal growth correlated to: coronary artery disease, hypertension, insulin resistance, etc
Hertfordshire study (1911-30)
males only and found risks with too low and too high birth rate
